Day: December 25, 2015

    The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby Jihadists driven by vision of 'apocalypse' warns Welby in stark Christmas message Britain's two most senior clerics have drawn on the darker side of the nativity story in hard-hitting Christmas sermons warning of the possible "elimination" of Christianity from the region of its birth. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, both draw comparisons between the Biblical account of the mass murder of children around Bethlehem on the orders of King Herod and the 21st Century Jihadist threat. In his Christmas morning sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Welby is expected to warn that that the so-called Islamic State group - a...

    The Queen has marked Christmas Day by attending a traditional church service at Sandringham. Some well-wishers waited from 4am to catch a glimpse of the royals - with hundreds gathered by mid-morning. The Queen arrived in a Bentley wearing a red dress coat, but Prince George and Princess Charlotte stayed at home. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiled as they arrived, with Kate making conversation with Prince Harry. They were joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The service was held at St Mary Magdalene's church on the family's Norfolk estate. Later today, the Queen's Christmas message will be broadcast. In it, the Queen will speak about the "moments of darkness" faced b...

    The Queen will use her Christmas Day address to highlight the "moments of darkness" the world has confronted but will also speak about the positive Christian message of light triumphing over the dark. A series of terrorist atrocities have shocked the world during 2015, from the mass shootings and bombings in Paris last month to the gun attack at a Tunisia resort during the summer. But the Queen, whose address traditionally has a strong religious framework reflecting her own faith, will sound an optimistic tone when she quotes a verse from the Bible. Reflecting on the past 12 months, the monarch will say during her Christmas Day broadcast: "It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, oft...